Jaguar has been the 98-pound weakling of the luxury market lately, but not for lack of substance in its products. The brand has rocketed up the initial quality ratings (of course, when you’re coming from near rock-bottom, there’s nowhere else to go) over the past few years and a recent German poll ranked it as one of the highest-quality luxury marques.

Read more

GRAND BLANC, MICH. — Along with the change of seasons from fall to winter comes the likelihood of poor road conditions and reduced visibility. Automotive breakdowns, never convenient, can be even more dangerous in cold weather. Preventive vehicle maintenance can help lessen the odds of mechanical failure.

Read more

1. How did you get into this scene?
Notice the difference between HOW and WHY. Asking “why”, (generally speaking, of course), is accompanied by a mocking, skeptical attitude, while asking “how” shows less bias and more curiosity. Whenever you come across a unique hobby or automotive enthusiast niche, you may find there was a likewise unique entrance into that “world.”

Read more

In the newest “Here and Now” version of Monopoly, Hasbro has replaced the old open-wheel race car with a Toyota hybrid Prius. Other game pieces included are a mug of Starbucks Coffee, a New Balance running shoe, a carton of McDonald’s fries, and a laptop.

Read more

Last week, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez took the podium at the United Nations and proceeded to blast the Bush administration and the United States. He repeatedly called President George W. Bush “the devil” and that the council chambers “still smells of sulfur” all the while genuflecting and looking heavenward. As if this was not enough to convince everyone of his benevolent intentions, he then staged a PR coup at a Harlem church to hand out discounted heating oil contracts to disadvantaged families in America through Citgo, the wholly-owned Venezuelan government oil company.

Read more

If any of you have followed my posts on this site, you know I’m no great fan of the heavy-handed tactics employed by activist governments. I am, for example, philosophically opposed to the smoking ban in cars (as opposed to being pro-tobacco, a fact that seems to be lost on most of you). I’m sure I’m going to get a similar response for my stand on this latest act of lunacy by California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

Read more

In the course of casually browsing around online, and looking up “biodiesel” on Wikipedia, I came across a rather stunning figure. While traditional agricultural crops such as corn and soybeans are being aggressively promoted as feedstocks for biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, this research report suggests that algae may be a far more effective and efficient feedstock. Corn, it turns out, is the dismal loser in the productivity scale. It will yield a paltry 18 gallons of oil per acre per year. Soybeans are slightly better at 48 gallons. But the potential yield for micro algae is 5,000 to 15,000 gallons.

Read more

Well, here’s a suggestion that’s out of left field. According to Bloomberg, if Ford’s current problem is its Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln lines, why not drop them?

Read more

There are times when I seriously wonder if the end really is near. The annoucement that Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. are considering a merger bolstered that belief. Although nobody at the company is “officially” talking, the fact that it’s even swirling around out there is a shock to the system.

Read more

Bill number SB1613, which prohibits the use of wireless telephones while operating a vehicle unless the phone can be operated hands-free, is, in fact, a good idea. You cannot argue that distractions while driving increase the likelihood of motor vehicle accidents. I’m sure that each of us has been in proximity to a motorist on the phone, as indicated by his swerving, speeding up and slowing down, and overall inattentiveness. As you pass by and gaze over at him in annoyed fascination, you play your 50/50 game: is he intoxicated or on the phone? Driving represents a considerable challenge without the distraction of a cell phone, and if you believe that driving isn’t challenging, then you don’t take it seriously enough.

Read more